NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court emphasized the importance of considering the religious sentiments of pilgrims visiting temples in tiger habitats while also protecting the sanctuary. The Court directed the Rajasthan government to form a committee to address the concerns of devotees visiting a temple within the Sariska Tiger Reserve before phasing out private vehicle movement in the sanctuary.
The movement of private vehicles carrying pilgrims was initially set to end by March 2025, following a recommendation by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to protect the critical tiger habitat. The traffic has become the reason for pollution, disrupted the ecology, and facilitated poachers’ access to the area. The Rajasthan government planned to offer 20 electric buses for pilgrims but the Hanuman Pandupol Temple Trust argued that this would be insufficient for the thousands of visitors, especially on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and festival days.
A bench led by Justice Bhushan R. Gavai acknowledged the necessity of protecting the tiger reserve but also highlighted the importance of respecting the religious sentiments of devotees. Advocate Ashok Gaur who is representing the Trust argued that the proposed solution failed to address the needs of the 6,000-7,000 weekly visitors who come to offer ‘prasad,’ claiming the ban would prevent them from fulfilling their religious observances.
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The bench, including Justice K.V. Viswanathan called for a practical approach to avoid law-and-order issues. It instructed the formation of a three-member committee led by the collector of Sariska to consider a phased ban on private vehicles while addressing the concerns of pilgrims. Since the CEC’s deadline of March 2025 left little time for the committee to make decisions, the Court extended all deadlines by a year of moving the private vehicle ban to March 2026. The committee was tasked with finding a balanced solution to protect both the tiger reserve and the devotees.
The Court also discussed a similar issue at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve where pilgrims visit a Ganesh temple in the reserve’s core area and suggest similar orders might be needed there in the future. Rajasthan’s additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati assured the Court that the state was sensitive to the concerns of pilgrims and would minimize their difficulties while addressing ecological concerns.
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Senior advocate K. Parmeshwar informed the bench that poachers had exploited the lack of restrictions in Sariska. The CEC recommended closing one entry point to reduce poaching, which the bench agreed with, emphasizing that genuine pilgrims should not be stopped. The CEC also recommended rationalizing the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) in Sariska to align with tiger breeding patterns.
Following the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Court allowed the state to implement this recommendation while considering concerns from environmentalists and private miners affected by the expansion. However, the Court made it clear that any changes to the sanctuary’s boundaries would require its final approval.